London’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has initiated its investigation into Ryanair flight FR3418, which landed at Manchester Airport during Storm AMy with 220kg of fuel, sufficient for five to six minutes of flight time.
The Boeing 737-800, registered 9H-QBD and operated by Malta Air, departed Pisa Galileo Galilei Airport at 17:28 local time, bound for Glasgow Prestwick Airport with 189 passengers and four crew members.
Storm Amy, with winds reaching 100mph, disrupted operations, leading to caused two go-arounds at Prestwick and one at Edinburgh. The first approach at Prestwick involved a sudden pull-up after nearing the runway.
The crew issued a Mayday call at 19:35, activating squawk code 7700, before landing on Manchester’s runway 05R at 20:02. Ryanair reported the incident to the AAIB, offering passengers coach transfers to Prestwick for €50 or flights the next day.
Ryanair reported this to the relevant authorities on Friday (October 3).
